Page 68 of For The Days We Can't Forget

“Why are you the s’more?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“That doesn’t add up. You’re not exactly...a part of...this.”

“How the hell not? I came up with the analogy.”

“It was going great until that point.”

“So, it’s my metaphor, and I’m not even a part of it?”

“I don’t see how you could.”

“Okay, now I’m bored.” She puffed and frowned at the bonfire, trying to suppress the tug on her lips, making me chuckle.

I smashed the marshmallow between the crackers and threw it into my mouth. As I chewed the goo, I wondered how I could make things right. Ilooked back at the house. Everyone but Ben was inside. We could hear the kids laughing even through the closed door, and that managed to extract a smile from me and Ben even during our pain.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” she questioned, with her mouth full of s’mores.

“Well, you’re helping me save my relationship before I screw up even more. You pushed Ben to see the flaws in his reasoning when he was pushing Izzie away...you were quite efficient, by the way.”

She snorted at my words, but it was true. While he was spiraling down a toxic hole, thinking he might end up like his abusive and violent father, putting Izzie and his baby at risk, Miasuggestedhe hit her. She pressed him against the wall and pressured him to hurt her until he lost his mind, claiming he’d never do it. It was controversial at best, but it got the point across.

She shrugged. “So what?”

“When are you going to follow your own advice?”

She stopped munching and looked down. She swallowed the candy and bit the inside of her lips. “How would that be fair?”

“What do you mean?”

She gazed at the house. “There’s a woman in there who might never experience love again. How would it be fair that I got to be with someone, while she mourned him?”

“How are those things related,cariño?” I pulled her small hand in mine, trying to get her attention. “What happened that day was excruciating, but it can’t get in the way of your life, any more than it has already. If that’s how we should understand things, then Ben and I shouldn’t be trying to build our families.”

Her smile was painfully sad, and it matched her red-rimmed eyes. “You didn’t explode the building my brother was in.”

I didn’t know how to answer that. In no way did I believe she was responsible for what happened. But I knew any words would be lost. Her grief was still too raw and ran too deep for her to let go of her guilt.

Before I could come up with any argument, she urged me, “You should make things right with Lisa.”

I knew she was diverting, just like I knew we wouldn’t get anywhere productive that night regarding Zach.

What I might accomplish was to get Lisa’s forgiveness. Maybe I could still salvage my relationship with her. I wanted to run and fix it all that instant, but I didn’t want to take Sofia away from the fun she was having.

“Just go.” Mia tipped her head, indicating the front of the house. “Go get your girl back. Fee can stay with us. We’ll have a pajama party.”

“I didn’t bring anything for her to spend the night.” I was trying to be practical, yet my hopes were urging me forward.

“I have toothbrushes at home, she can use some of Gabe’s clothes, we’ll hype her up with sugar and let the kids run wild until they crash.” She waved her hand, dismissing me. “We’ll make do, just go.”

I kissed the side of her head and jumped from the chair. There was no more time to waste.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

I used to love Thanksgiving. But as dinner time approached with no sign of Danny, I had the answer I’d been dreading. I gave him space and time, as my mother suggested. Maybe I’d given him too much time and space.

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